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Cambodia

Cambodia Overland

Travelers' Reports:
Overland, Bangkok - Siem Reap

Page 6 of 22 (January 2008 - June 2008)

Like what we're doing here?

Siem Reap to Bangkok in 6:54 (June 2008):

Door to door goes like this: Golden Temple Villa SR to Poipet border by taxi $27usd. Border crossing easy and quick. Went to bank on Thai side to change money, got a cab 1800bht (55usd) to The Royal Benja Sukhumvit Soi 5 BKK. Total time 6 hrs 54 minutes. Must say the Thai cabbie thought he was in an F1 race but we made it. The first part of the road was a nightmare but passable. Nearly got bogged once but other wise a good trip.

Hotel to hotel (June 2008):

We had our hotel in Bangkok organise a cab to the border for us.  Given that it was the Oriental Hotel we probably paid a bit over the odds (3500 baht – but with the fuel price exploding who knows what is a fair price anyway; Editor's note: This is indeed a high price, 2200-2500 Thai baht should have been the maximum. ) but they did make sure it was a station wagon with lots of space for us and our luggage. Cab was booked for 7.30 am – but driver was there waiting at 7.15. He stopped at our request for a coffee on the way and then dropped us in the car park of a little shopping centre just to the left of the main drag and only about 100 metres from Thai exit post.

As soon as we got into ‘no mans land’ we were approached by a guy who turned out to be a tout asking if we wanted a taxi. He quoted $65, we settled on $55 but he immediately took two of our bags off us and carried them for us – I made sure not to let him stray too far!  We had e-visas so happily ignored everyone offering ‘help’ with visas (only two or three) and advice about changing money. Short delay at Cambodian immigration (I mean 10 minutes) and we were onto a bus that took us 200 metres up the road to transfer to the taxi which was at a tour operators office. Another short delay while the driver filled up with LPG and we were off. Short stop for lunch and we reached our hotel (Shinta Mani – highly recommended) by 3pm.

If your last road travel experience was driving along the M4 to Heathrow Airport you might think of the Poipet-Siem Reap road as bad. If you recently, as we did, suffered a 13 hour ride on a really bad road from Gondar to Lalibela in Ethiopia then this road feels like a motorway!  Sure there are some unmade bits, little detours where they are building new bridges etc but it’s a breeze.  The worst bit was in Poipet itself – what a dump!

Visa fun (May 2008):

I did this trip a few weeks ago, worked out OK when following the instructions to the letter. It's a tricky one though. Poipet is such a dump, good lord, awful.
As seems to be the norm, I could not for the life of me get my visa down to $20 at the Cambodian Consulate at the Border - and I can be a difficult sod. Managed $22 after making a right pain in the ass of myself. One African chap there waiting too couldn't get for less than $30. Sad state of affairs and a really bad impression to get when first entering the country. I guess getting a visa in BKK if you have the time is the way forward.

The way back was interesting too - nasty weather made the road very muddy, had to jump out of our taxi (front wheel drive automatic - what a joke) and ended up doing most of the journey in a tour bus full of East German OAPs - a good laugh. Toilet breaks every 15 mins!

Also the tip of the taxi rank at Morchit is indispensable - the touts there when you jump of the bus can be tricky.

Good Tips (April 2008):

We travelled independently from Bangkok to Siem Reap on April 8, this site was simply indispensable in ensuring a (reasonably) smooth experience.  Key points:

  • definitely get an early bus from Mochit - ours left around 7am and arrived at Poipet around 12.15.  That way you beat the KSR buses - we got through passport control on both sides relatively quickly as we were just about the only Westerners around.
  • watch the tuk-tuk drivers that take you from Aranya Prathet to Poipet.  We were delivered up to the tuk-tuk tout by our friendly Bangkok bus driver (who we saw pocketing a bribe), which we didn't really mind.  However, the tuk-tuk driver stopped well short of where he should have at the border, leaving us to be swamped by the scammers trying to insist you need their help filling out the visa form (as is explained here, you don't).  He also tried to suggest that the 80 baht fee we had agreed before going up to the border was just for one person (the oldest trick in the book).  We just walked off when he tried that one - I think we looked so angry he didn't bother pursuing the matter.
  • Thai passport control is fine if you beat the crowds, as explained above.
  • The English-speaking mediator at the Cambodian visa application window is still trying on the "No, the sign is wrong, the visa actually costs US$25 or 1000 baht" scam.  He was so transparent and apparently browbeaten that I almost felt a little sorry for him.  I argued for a while, invoking the possibility of a report to the Phnom Penh authorities, and eventually agreed to pay $45 for two visas (largely by insisting I didn't have any baht on me, which wasn't true), which I had decided beforehand I was willing to accept.  Some dark looks from the police behind the glass, which I received with satisfaction.
  • Negotiated with one of the taxi touts to go to Siem Reap in a Camry for $45 between the two stages of Cambodian passport control.  At the second stage, some guy wearing a badge and uniformed polo shirt that I tried hard to ignore was in my face suggesting that he had some official capacity and that I had to listen to him; he seemed quite agitated by my indifference.  He offered a taxi to the bus station, or a bus to the taxi station or something - I explained that I had already arranged a taxi and waved him away.  He eventually gave up and went outside, apparently to intercept us on the way out, but got into an argument with our tout and didn't bother us again.
  • I insisted to the tout that I didn't want to be dropped off at the outskirts of Siem Reap to be picked up by some tuk-tuk driver - I wanted to go straight to our (pre-booked) hotel.  He assured me this was fine, and discussed the location of the hotel with the driver.  The camry was a piece of junk, with a cracked windscreen and rust-holes and seemed in danger of not starting when we got to it.  It did, took us to the petrol station where we paid an instalment of $15 on the agreed $45 to cover the petrol and a (requested) tip to the tout who had to quickly explain to his colleagues that it was his money alone.
  • Nothing quite prepared me for the condition of the Poipet-Siem Reap road - a national disgrace.  A lot of work is being undertaken, but as far as I could tell, the sealed stretches didn't extend any further than detailed on this site.  The trip was 3 hours, as advertised.  The hot, dry weather was a blessing in this context.
  • When we arrived at Siem Reap, our driver unceremoniously abandoned us to go and relieve himself against a fence.  While he was engaged, some friendly local popped his head in to explain that we would be taken the rest of the way in another car.  Given the understanding we had reached in Poipet I was understandably peeved and got a bit snappy - the guy left, and another guy popped his head in.  Eventually, it became obvious that we weren't going to get any further without changing cars, but I made sure there wouldn't be any additional cost.  The guy who eventually took us the short distance to the hotel was actually quite nice, and apparently using the opportunity to offer his services as an Angkor guide.
Overall, my advice is to be prepared for a fairly difficult journey - this isn't for the faint-hearted (or weak-stomached, given the road conditions).  Arrive early, be focused, ignore the scammers and decide before you arrive what you are willing to accept.

Step by Step (April 2008):

I travelled Bangkok to Siem Reap on 18th April without using the Ko San scam buses after getting all the tips of talesofasia.com and it was fine. the only thing that was putting me off going as a lone traveller was the idea that i might get stumped with a taxi fee of $40 upwards on my own, but there were plenty of people arriving at the border to share taxis with.
hope any of this is useful to people..
1)Took number 3 bus from nr Ko San road, 7 baht to mochit northern bus terminal, took around 50mins.
2) First class bus to Aran at 7.10am, 215 baht, took four hours.
3) Moto from bus drop off to border - Moto driver took us to ''Çambodia embassey'' on the way explaining i could get my visa for 1000 baht in 5 mins. Good deal! i politely refused and insisted we go straight to the border. 60 baht.
4) No probs at Thai departure
5) Cambodia visa - was told it costs 1000baht, and that only baht was accepted, as per usual despite the sign they're stood next to saying $20. I said that it was $20 and they shut the window on me:( Stood around for 5 minutes or so then offered them $25 dollars, they accepted.
6) Cambodia sign in - no hustle.
7) Taxi tout had already told me and another tourist i'd met at the border that we could get in a taxi with two others and pay $25 for the two of us ($50 intotal for the taxi) so at $12.50 each this seems a good deal, accept it graciously. During the cambodia check in queue the same tout tries to convince us that we're paying 500baht each, a slight mark up, so we insist on paying the original $25 and he gives in.
8) Got offered money exchange a couple of times but really nothing more than an offer.
9) Free shuttle to taxi with tout, then into taxi to siem reap, tout insists we pay him up front, which we eventually did as he really wasn't backing down on that. Fortunately there was no problem with the taxi - took about 3 1/2 hours, maybe a bit more. the road isn't that bad really, it's pretty good fun in a taxi.
10) At siem reap, the taxi pulled the tuk tuk stunt, insisting that the road was blocked off to cars because the king was visiting!! So the four of us got into two tuk tuk's, both free, and they took us to the guesthouse we wanted to go to, with a little sales talk on the way about trips round ankor wot.
so altogether it took me around 8 or 9 hours, got to siem reap around 3pm, cost 282baht and $37.5, including visa.

It seemed easy... (April 2008):

I read with much interest the "An usual bus story (March 2008)" and decided to 'replicate' this traveller's experience. I too was travelling alone. While in Bangkok I went to a local travel agent and booked a one-way ticket to Siem Reap via Hang Tep Travel Co, Ltd. I paid the travel agent 1,000 baht. The mini-bus was supposed to collect me between 07h00-07h30 on Sunday 30th March 2008 - it actually arrived at 06h59 at my hotel - I was most impressed since I was the last passenger (of nine) for the trip.

The mini-bus trip was comfortable and we stopped at 09h00 for a toilet break. Approx 7km before the Thai border we stopped for some paperwork. Fortunately I had an e-Visa. Some of the other passengers were requested to pay 1,300 baht for their Cambodian visas (which they did begrudgingly). I was offered to purchase a return ticket from Siem Reap to Bangkok (via Hang Tep Travel Co, Ltd) which I did. The cost thereof was 800 baht and I received a handwritten receipt.

Passing through Thailand passport control took much longer than passing through Cambodian immigration (there were only three persons ahead of me. I did not see the e-Visa counter nor a designated sign).

At the bus counter in Cambodia, I was told that I would need to exchange US dollars to Cambodian riel since in Cambodia Thai baht would not be accepted. I duly exchanged a U$100 travellers cheque and received an exchange rate of U$1 = 3,200 Cambodian riel - also had to pay 4% commission. Only later did I realise that I was 'ripped' off/scammed. I was then offered that instead of catching the bus, I could travel by taxi and pay an extra 200 baht from Poipet to Siem Reap - which I did. I think some of the other passengers may have paid an extra US$15 (but I am unsure of this). I am pleased that I did pay extra as it was well worth travelling in an airconditioned taxi. I arrived in Siem Reap and was transported by (free) tuk tuk to The Siem Reap Hostel - I had an online reservation.

My return journey from Siem Reap to Bangkok was uneventful - I was collected by tuk tuk from my Siem Reap hotel and taken to the bus company offices (The contact telephone number of Hang Tep Travel Co Ltd in Cambodia is 012-680-960). We departed Siem Reap (by taxi) at 08h20 and en route we had a flat tyre near Poipet. I did not have to pay anything extra for the taxi! We arrived at Poipet at 11h30. Excluding the flat tyre change of 15 minutes, this means that the actual taxi trip time between Siem Reap and Poipet was a mere 2 hrs 55 minutes! By 11h40 I had already passed through Poipet immigration.

I did not travel all the way by minibus to downtown Bangkok and was dropped off near Bangkok International Airport to catch a connecting flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. The total cost of travelling overland from Bangkok to Siem Reap to Bangkok was therefore 2,000 baht (which I consider to be reasonable). With regards to the currency conversion 'scam', I wrote that off to travelling experience since the financial loss was not that significant.

Based on my experiences, there are three golden rules for travellers travelling overland from Bangkok to Siem Reap:
a. obtain an Cambodian e-Visa - well worth U$25 and it took me less than a day - its hassle free when passing through Cambodian immigration;
b. ensure you have bottled water (one 500ml and a one 1litre container) with you for in the bus/taxi;
c. do NOT exchange any money or traveller's cheques at Poipet - this can easily be undertaken in Siem Reap.

[Editor's Note: Although this traveler did not seem too fussed by the money exchange scam, or this pre-paid trip in general, I would point out that the fact remains he was 1.) ripped off by $22 on the exchange scam, 2.) Had he purchased a visa (I can only wonder what lies they told the other passengers) he would have been ripped off by another $20, and 3.) Although a taxi is indeed a better option, they did manage to extract another $6+ from him to ride in it. So the overcharge was $28+ and could have been nearly $50. This is I think, evidence enough of what I've been saying for years, that these pre-paid transport services should be avoided at all times.]

Some photos (April 2008):

A reader has sent a link with a number of photos of the road taken recently. You can see them here.

Quick report (March 2008):

We followed your directions to the letter and had no problems at all! Thanks for posting such great directions – everything was as you wrote, down to the bus ticket prices! We also encountered the taxi/tuktuk scam at the edge of Siem Reap. Good thing I read your blog – I was firm in saying no and refusing to leave the taxi. The tuktuk driver finally gave up trying to convince us to take the “free ride” into town and as we were parting, he asked if we had been to Siem Reap before.

Good taxi price, not so good visa price (March 2008):

We were 3 people, 2 Turkish guys and 1 Danish girl met in Khao San road about 11:00 pm and decided to go to cambodia very next day while drinking a lot of beer. I knew that the train was on 5:55 am and we decided to took that one.

Like 5:00 o'clock in the morning, with no sleep we took a tuk tuk for 100 baht to the Hualalumpong station and we bought our tickets at the station which was very easy. The price was 48 baht and the train was right on time. The seats are comfortable and the train wasn't very crowded so we could lie down the seats and sleep. I'd always prefer trains cause buses make me sick of my sensitive stomach. We could drink beer (or anything else) on the train too; which made our travel more fun.

We arrived at the border station and took one more tuk tuk to the border for 150 baht. I went to the toilet during the visa process so I dont know what happened exactly but when I was back, my friends told me they got the visas for 30 dollars each.

There was no queue at the border. After departing from Thai border a Cambodian guy approached and asked if we need a taxi to Siem Reap. I said yes and asked how much. He said 30 dollars (10 dollars each) and I said ok without any bargaining. He took us to a white Toyota Camry taxi and we headed to Siem Reap. There was nothing wrong on the way to Siem Reap and the taxi driver brought us to a tuk tuk station at Siem Reap which he said we could get a free transport for hostels and guesthouses. We took one tuk tuk and he showed us some guesthouses and we booked which we liked best and didn't pay anything for the ride.

An unusual bus story (March 2008):

Altough I knew about the risks of a scam bus, I still took an organised transportation from Bangkok. Travelling alone, and as a woman, your accurate description of the trip didn't inspire me to do it alone. Also, with taxi costs it would be much more expensive than the package I got offered.
 
Since all went really well and was easy and nice I thought maybe someone should publish the good things too.

I booked my trip through the HI Hostel Thaliand. They told me they use "Travel Mart" as an agency. I got exactly what I was promised. I paid first one way, 990 baht and bought the return (another 700 baht) on the way, as I liked the service.

They picked my up at 7.40 (with only 10 min delay) on Silom Road and we headed right off to Aranyaprathet in a good mini van. Stopped there at a restaurant so we could eat and they organised the visas. If you had one, it was fine. Or you could pay them a small fee and they did it for you. Your choice.
On the other side we had to wait 1.5 hours in an aircon room for the next 20 seater bus. Took off at 3pm and had only one stop for dinner. Ride was fine too and all luggage in the bus. We arrived at 20.30 (with only 30 min delay from what we were told initially!). People could stay at the hotel they stopped at. If one had a booking somwhere else, they provided free transport there. I knew of someone who took it and it was really free and hassle free. I stayed at that hotel and it was fine.

Return was easy too. They told me 7 am and it was 7.15 by free transport to a gas station. There we were put on a 28 seat bus. But comfortable and again all luggage on board. Only one 5 min stop and one 45 min stop for food. Drove straight to the border. On the other side someone already waited and as soon as everyone was through immigration, we were split into the great minivans and drove straight to Bangkok. Arrived here at 17.30. As I stayed on Silom Rd again, and not Khao San Rd, he dropped me directly at a BTS Skytrain station. Great. From there I was home in no time and at little cost.
 
The guys who ran the show on Cambodian side are called "Hang Tep Travel Co" (012 680 960). It was really good for a single traveller. Felt safe, looked after and it was cheap.
 
I never saw many tourists at the border so, had I hoped to find company there, it would have been tricky. And I certainly would not have wanted to brave it all alone.
 
Hope this will help other travellers in the future to find a good bus trip to Siem Reap!!

[editor's note: While we don't doubt the writer's experience, our advice remains as always: Do not purchase transport to Siem Reap from travel agencies/guesthouses in Thailand. The story related above is not par for the course and astute readers will note that this was not run from Khao San Road.]

Visa fun, the usual nonsense (February 2008):

So I did the bkk to siem reap on my own according to your guide. Took the bus, then mafia taxi. People tried to f**k us over about 100 times, but we took all your advice to the letter and made it just fine.

However, the damn visa "officials" who might as well be elephants with a police hat refused to accept $20 USD for the fee. First they said 2000 baht, then 20 US plus 200 baht, and we finally paid 25 USD. It was quite clear the real price was 20. The sign even said so, but they had put up a fake paper sign saying a different price. There was some guy in street clothes who was talking for the border guards who kept lowering the price, but I dismissed him promptly and absolutly refused to accept anything but 20. I was firm, accused them of fraud, and even got in their face, but they refused, so I parted with my 5 dollars, and was on my way. They said It had been 25 dollars for 2 years, so I knew they were lying. I actually argued for over an hour. Very frustrating because I knew they were skimming.

And praise for the e-Visa (February 2008):

Having studied this web site extensively we (four of us) before leaving New Zealand obtained an e-visa. The process was simple and greatly assisted our passage through the border post. We departed Bangkok by taxi at 6.00 am, in transit to the border we must have passed every KSR bus. We arrived at the border at 9.05am the cost of the taxi was 2900 bht. Upon disembarking from the taxi we were surrounded by the inevitable throngs of people trying to shelter us from the sun or carry our bags. A polite no thankyou saw all of them on there way.

We then proceeded into the Thailand departure post, the two lanes for Thai nationals were full, however the foreign lane had nobody in it so we walked straight through and into the departure building. Filling in our departure cards took 5 minutes and another 5 minutes later we were through. We walked straight through to the Cambodian arrival area bypassing the area where about 30 or so people were applying for their visas.

Again we were first in the line at the Cambodian arrivals area and it was here that we were offered a taxi to Siam Reap for US$60.00, I knew that the going rate was between $45.00 -$70.00.  As my wife was feeling a little off colour I accepted this offer but refused to hand over any money until we were all through the arrivals area. The tout then guided us to where the taxi was parked I loaded the bags myself shut the boot, got everybody into the taxi and instead of tipping the tout $10.00 (what he asked for) gave him $1.00.

We departed Poipet for Siem Reap at 9.50am and other than a dusty bumpy drive we arrived suddenly on the outskirts of Siem Reap at 12.30pm only to be told that the taxi could not proceed any further due to some non-existent regulation. Of course we knew this was nonsense and were then greeted by some enthusiastic tuk tuk drivers who of course at no charge offered to take us to our hotel (this we accepted) but knowing that it was part of a scam did not award any further work to the tuk tuk driver involved.

All in all a seamless trip into Cambodia taking just 7 hours from Bangkok to Siem Reap. Our return via the same route was just as simple but the taxi ride was only $25.00 from Siem Reap to Poipet (arrange your own taxi otherwise the cost is $35.00). The e-visa was of great assistance in avoiding most of the scams.

Successful mafia avoidance (February 2008):

We left Bangkok on the 5:30 bus, no problems, lovely bus. Met two English girls going to Siem Reap too on the bus, and arranged to get a taxi with them from Poipet onwards. All of us had read up on your site and were prepared for the fun ahead!

Ok, got off at Bangkok border and of course the tuk tuk drivers swarm round the bus. Your site said 60b is what you should pay, but they now have a sign up saying 80. Think maybe the girls managed to get theirs to agree at 70 but we just paid 80. Told him to take us straight right up to Thai immigration, although he dropped us at the touts. They then try to shove forms that look similar but different to the real visa forms, and tell you they'll take you to immigration. We lied and said we already had visas and made our way ourselves. We were followed by a few kids trying to sell us things or asking for food, but not many and they dropped off.

Getting through Thai immigration was fine as everyone seems to say, although not filling out even a small part of your departure card means you get sent back to the end of the queue. Once we had been stamped out, guys in yellow shirts appeared everywhere. Basically the four of us kept to the rule that wherever those guys told you to go, you didn't. They try to herd you off to the left and down a path to a building on the left. Do not go there! Instead, go into the middle, which is a road mainly used by cars, just walk to the side of it and then make your way to the right where a building with a blue sign saying Visas is. I'd imagine the building on the left is where the touts are. We got up to this building and clutching out photos, forms and $20 notes, went up to the window. The guy behind the window points us to the guy we've been trying to avoid, who is lingering about with a nice fake smile. Here he starts with the chat we'd read about from others. Ah, it's only payble in Thai baht. We point to the sign saying $20, but of course "it's an old sign!"'. We tell him to take it down then, but he says he can't. So we say we'll pay $20 until he takes the sign down. We say we have no baht, so the price goes up to $25. Then $22, then ok, $20 plus 200b. We just smile and say no, he's getting irritated but not too angry. He then changes tact and says he saw us at the other building trying to get it for less than 1200 baht, utter rubbish. We just laugh. He says we can't get it for $20, and we say we'll stand here until we do. He then just magically steps aside and lets us pay $20 to the pissed off guy behind the window, clearly fed up with bargaining. Then they make us sit, and we assume it'll be a while before we get our passports back. However, we get them back after about 10 minutes, perhaps because we had already told another group to wait until you get it for 20. The whole process takes about 25 minutes.

Then we go on to immigration, which isn't very clear. Basically keep walking and it's on your right. Here we queued for about an hour. You can jump this step by just paying I think $2 to one of the officials sitting down at the table, who'll stamp you in for a fee. If you have the time, I'd queue.

Then guys in yellow ask us if we need taxis, we keep walking and say we're staying in Poipet, another lie. We find the covered walkway you'd mentioned on your site, and walk down it. A couple of guys dressed in normal clothing (ie not yellow shirts) say they'll take us for $40. The yellow guys swoop in and say $25. We figure 40 is more likely, and decide to take a chance. We get taken up to a car in front of a hotel and after some exchanging of money between the guys and a policeman, we're off. There are bulletholes in the window and no seatbelts, but we're happy to have avoided all the touts! The rest of the journey passes without much incident (except scary petrol filling) and aside from bumps the road was ok, no puddles and no hold ups. We spent about 2 hours all in from Thai border to getting in the taxi, and then 3 hours in the taxi to Siem Reap.

Visa Scams (January 2008)

We arrived in Aranyaprathet by train, got a tuktuk for about 60 baht to the border. Straight off the tuk tuk a guy approaches us and tells us he works for the Cambodian embassy and he'll organise our visa. There's another couple already sitting at a table filling in forms.

After a few questions it appears the guy wants 2000 baht for the service and plans to take our passports away with him. He keeps offering to letus come with him to the "embassy"

This all sounds very odd to us. He shows us the "visa" in the passports of the other people sitting where we are and tries to tell us we won't be able to get a visa across the border and so on.

In the end we decide it's a scam and make our way through Thai immigration with no problems and get to the official Cambodian visa office where we get our visas for 1000 baht - they insist on being paid in baht and we don't argue.

The visa looks somewhat different from the one we were offered by the tout.
Despite this, the people we saw getting visas from said tout still make it through Cambodian immigration - i do wonder what sort of problems they are going to have later though with a visa which looks nothing like the real one...

We went by taxi from Poipet to Battambang. We were approached by what I guess was a part of the taxi mafia - and negotiated a price of US$30. When we emerged from immigration his friend met us and got us to take a short tuk tuk ride to their office where we were put in a Toyota Camry. He then decided to charge us in baht - 1200 baht to be precise - which he wanted upfront - and couldn't find change. He initally came back with a handfull of riel. We weren't sure of the exchange rate and insisted on baht. He returned wih baht, handed us a stack which we then couned. It was 300 baht short. When we pointed it out he asked is he could keep the extra baht. We rather begrudgingly agreed.

Then about five guys had a ten minute argument about how the money was to be divided and who would transdport us to Battambang.

The actual trip was fine - aside from the horrendous road from Poipet to Sisophon. The guy did stop to ask for directions once in Battambang and again to fill the car with gas. DO NOT WATCH THIS - IT WILL FRIGHTEN YOU. The gas is plugged straight into he tank - with the motor running. The driver and gas seller argued about the gas, pulled the hose out several times and the footpath was covered in liquid gas. Despite this, we were delivered safely to our requsted hotel and though the driver looked a little sad that we offeredhim no further tip - it was a relaively pleasant 2 and half hour journey.

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